Child-proof containers (e.g., and child-resistant packaging) are generally designed to prevent children under the age of 5 years from opening the containers. Such containers are particularly advantageous for pharmaceutical applications, for which it is important to prevent very young children from ingesting potentially toxic drugs and consequently preventing accidental poisoning. Child-proof containers and packages having child-proof safety systems are further widely used for household chemicals (for example, detergents, degreasers, and sanitizers) and cosmetics.
In some embodiments, child-proof containers are made of a paper material housing having a box-type shape adapted to receive a plastic material blister pack destined to hold multiple products. Such housings may have two slits that are arranged along opposite lateral, longitudinal walls and that are arranged along a diagonal of the container. In some embodiments, the blister pack has a substantially rectangular shape and includes two projections adapted to enter respective slits in the housing. An engagement between the projections with the slits prevents the blister packs from being extracted by pulling when the blister pack is disposed within the housing. When somebody wants to extract the blister pack from the housing, it is necessary to apply a pressure on the projections in order to push them towards the inside of the housing to disengage the slits in order to extract the blister pack from the housing.
In some embodiments, child-proof containers include a housing of paperboard having a box-shape adapted to receive a plastic material blister pack and configured to block the blister pack from exiting the container. In such embodiments, the housing is also provided with a portion shaped as a pushbutton that can act on the blister pack to disengage the blister pack from the housing so that the blister pack can be extracted from the container. It is possible to extract the blister pack by pressing the push button-shaped portion and simultaneously by pulling the blister pack outside of the housing.
The containers discussed above have an opening mechanism that must be properly grasped and handled such that the containers are difficult for children under the age of 5 years to open. However, these containers have limitations and drawbacks. For example, such containers do not provide for a safe closure by a cooperation between the housing and the blister pack such that the containers cannot be used flexibly. In fact, a child-proof safety mechanism can only be effected for these containers with a housing that receives a blister pack designed specifically for the particular housing. Therefore, the blister pack must be made by specific, non-standard manufacturing methods that require specific, corresponding apparatuses suitably designed and tooled for making the containers, resulting in increases production costs and higher priced products, accordingly. Furthermore, such containers have a somewhat complex structure, which further negatively affects the associated manufacturing and product costs.